The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Electronic equipment often generates electromagnetic signals in one portion of the electronic equipment which may radiate to and interfere with another portion of the electronic equipment. This electromagnetic interference (EMI) may cause degradation or complete loss of important signals, thereby rendering the electronic equipment inefficient or inoperable. To reduce the adverse effects of EMI, electrically conducting (and sometimes magnetically conducting) material may be interposed between portions of the electronic circuitry for absorbing and/or reflecting EMI energy. This shielding may take the form of a wall or a complete enclosure placed around the portion of the electronic circuit generating the electromagnetic signal, and/or the shielding may be placed around the portion of the electronic circuit which is susceptible to the electromagnetic signal. By way of example, electronic circuits of a printed circuit board (PCB) are often enclosed by shields permanently attached to the PCB to localize the EMI within its source and/or insulate other circuits proximal to the EMI source.
As used herein, the terms electromagnetic interference (EMI) should be considered to generally include and refer to both EMI and radio frequency interference (RFI) emissions. The term “electromagnetic” should be considered to generally include and refer to both electromagnetic and radio frequency from external sources and internal sources. Accordingly, the term shielding (as used herein) generally includes and refers to both EMI shielding and RFI shielding, for example, to prevent (or at least reduce) ingress and egress of EMI and RFI relative to a housing or other enclosure in which electronic equipment is disposed.